Transportation officials in Kentucky and Indiana were informed Friday of the discovery of two cracks in the load-carrying element of the bridge on Thursday.

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Officials with the Indiana Department of Transportation said the crack is in an arch support over the Ohio River. There are two archways on the bridge; the crack was found on the underside of the roadway, near the archway closest to the Ohio River.

Officials called the cracks incredibly serious and potentially catastrophic.

"I would not have sent my family across that bridge," said Bob Zier, chief of staff for INDOT.

"The crack itself was determined to be above the level of risk that's really safe for motorists to be able to drive across," said Will Wingfield, public information officer for INDOT.

Travelers Must Find Alternate Routes

Over the next few days, structural engineers will be making further examinations of the bridge. But as for when the bridge might reopen, no one knows.

"No, we don't have an estimate at this time. So as a result, we should make people prepared that this could be short or could be very long-term in nature," Wingfield said.

"We found two areas with various very serious cracking in them. We still have 81 more to inspect. So the time to do this is going to be extensive," Zier said.

Raw Video: Sherman Minton Bridge Closed

In the meantime, the 80,000 cars that cross the Sherman Minton bridge every day will have to find alternate routes -- and Friday's commute offered just a brief taste of the highway headaches to come.

"We're encouraging traffic to use I-65 and I-265 to get around, but as many people know, that's already congested. So people need to prepare themselves, particularly for the commute periods, for additional backups," Wingfield said.

And as for why the bridge had to be closed right at rush hour, officials said there was no time to waste.

"The fellow that we were talking to in New York said, 'Don't waste your time talking to us. Close the bridge,'" Zier said.

While the bridge is an interstate structure, a long-standing agreement gives the state of Indiana responsibility for inspecting and maintaining it.

Structural engineers from state and private sectors, as well as engineering universities, recommended closing the bridge after examining data from Thursday.

Experts have been at the bridge in the past weeks, performing maintenance and detailed inspections.

Daniels decided to close the bridge immediately after consulting with Indiana and Kentucky transportation officials and the Federal Highway Administration.

From The Field: Sherman Minton Bridge Closed

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear released the following statement Friday: ?Because the safety of the thousands of people who use the I-64 bridge is of utmost concern, Governor Daniels notified me today of his decision to temporarily shut down the Sherman Minton until the structure can be inspected more fully.

?I have directed the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to send a team of our state?s bridge inspectors, engineers, and consultants to help evaluate the situation as quickly as possible and assist the State of Indiana and the Federal Highway Administration. These evaluations will begin immediately and will be coordinated with the Indiana Department of Transportation. Our highest priority is confidence that the public?s safety is assured.?

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer released the following statement Friday regarding the closure of the bridge: "The public's safety is the most important concern and, with the information we now have, closing the bridge is the right decision until we can further access the situation. Police Chief Robert White and Metro Government leaders will be meeting over the weekend with officials in Southern Indiana and in both states to develop a plan to ensure the smooth flow of traffic in the days and weeks ahead. We will be working around the clock to be prepared for rush hour on Monday morning."

Louisville police released a traffic plan for motorists on Saturday:

Motorists using I-71 southbound need to divert onto I-65 northbound, cross over to Indiana, and connect to I-265 westbound and reconnect to I-64 westbound.

Motorists using I-64 westbound need to divert onto I-65 northbound, cross over into Indiana, and connect to I-265 westbound and reconnect to I-64 westbound.

Motorists using I-65 northbound to continue on I-65 northbound, cross over into Indiana, and connect to I-265 west and reconnect to I-64 westbound.

Motorists using I-264 westbound west of I-65 need to proceed on I-64 eastbound to I-65 northbound, cross over into Indiana, and connect to I-265 westbound and reconnect to I-64 westbound.

Motorist in downtown Louisville can use the 2nd Street Bridge as an alternate route to Indiana State Rd. 62 to connect with I-64 Westbound.

Mayor: It's 'A Mess'

New Albany Mayor Doug England called the closure "a mess," adding that he is not sure if the repeated barge hits did not cause the damage, despite inspections.

"This proves why another bridge is needed more than ever," England said.

The closure is indefinite pending further notice. Further examinations of the bridge will take place in the coming days.

The bridge was built in 1962 and is named for Supreme Court justice and longtime New Albany resident Sherman Minton. It was designed by Hazelet & Erdal, of Louisville, now URS Corp., and built at a cost of $14.8 million.

About 80,000 cars travel across the bridge each day.

Traffic is being detoured over Interstates 265 and 65.

I-71 To Be Open Monday

To help alleviate some traffic congestion due to the closure of the Sherman Minton Bridge, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet announced Saturday that it will have all lanes open on Interstate 71 by 5 a.m. on Monday.

The contractor is working this weekend on both northbound and southbound Interstate 71. The roadway is currently reduced to one lane in each direction between I-64 and I-264 (mile points 0.0 and 5.5).

Additionally, a planned inspection on the Kennedy Bridge scheduled for Monday has been postponed.

All lanes of Interstate 65 on the Kennedy Bridge will be open on Monday.